


I Just Haven’t (Realized I) Met You (Already) Yet

by iamleegracey



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-12 02:51:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20133934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamleegracey/pseuds/iamleegracey
Summary: Three Chinese, two asshole best friends and one hungover induced confession later, Chanyeol found himself dumbfounded and angry (mostly angry) at himself for not realizing things sooner.





	I Just Haven’t (Realized I) Met You (Already) Yet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jusdefraise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jusdefraise/gifts).

> Here it is! After numerous writer's block and handful of extensions. To the prompter, I hope you enjoy this fic just as much as I enjoyed writing it. To my beta, you know who you are, thank you for being an angel and helping me get through this fic! And to the ever understanding mods, thank you for your patience and cheers to another amazing round.

Additional Notes: _Words in italics and underline are meant to be Chinese words__, _**_words in bold and italics are meant to be English words_**_._

* * *

Today was the day, Chanyeol thinks.

He had a clever plan, you see. There’s this big party happening at one of the biggest frat houses and almost everyone’s invited – including Kris Wu. Kris wasn’t your typical nerdy Chinese student. With a height of six feet and a lean structure, he easily snagged the captainship of the university’s basketball team, and his passive yet sharp features made him mysterious enough for the ladies (and a handful of boys including Chanyeol) to swoon over. And that accent, don’t let Chanyeol get started with that accent of his.

And Chanyeol decided that tonight would be the perfect timing to finally talk to Kris. He even added extra gel in his hair, for a stroke of good luck.

“You know, I’m pretty sure this soulmate thing doesn’t work like this.”

Chanyeol resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead opting to style his badly bleached hair into a decent style. His eyes then momentarily caught his best friend, Sehun, lounging lazily on the bed with his skin tight leather pants stretched precariously, as if they’re going to be ripped with one movement. His eyes were lazy as he sat up with his hair now in a bedridden state and try as he might, Chanyeol couldn’t help but grow envious at how Sehun looked fuckable in such an effortless way.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, we’ve been through this. I mean you have a tendency to flirt with any Chinese person you see and make them say those words inked on your wrist.” Sehun smirked annoyingly as he nodded over to Chanyeol’s wrist, where a handful of Chinese characters were inked against his skin.

During one’s lifetime, he or she is destined to meet someone special. Someone who could make them feel complete and spend the rest of their lives with in a picturesque happy ending. And seeing that there are billions upon billions of people living, some deity thought of unique a way for one to meet their soulmate.

Words would appear on someone’s wrists as soon as they came into this world – the exact words that their soulmate would utter once they meet for the first time. And when that fateful meeting happens, they say those words would burn through someone’s skin, a satisfying kind of burn.

This deity must have thought he was a genius for devising such way, but not Chanyeol. Never Chanyeol.

You see, while everyone around him has words written in Korean, his tattoo has sharp and complicated strokes that make up a series of Chinese characters that he only completely understood when he was twenty (thank the heavens for the person who invented the internet and translating apps). And while it sounds cool to other people, it’s one hell of a journey for Chanyeol. It’s not every day that you get to meet a Chinese strolling along Chanyeol’s fairly exclusive neighborhood, even more so someone who would tell him _“Please don’t vomit on me” _. So seeing that Kris is the only closest candidate (aside from the old Chinese lady that owns a retail shop downtown), Chanyeol took his chances.

Wow. He must’ve pissed that deity in one way or another.

“Look, I’ve read somewhere that there are roughly 1.4 billion Chinese all over the world–”

“Do I look like I have enough time to talk to 1.4 billion people, Sehun?”

“I’m just saying,” Sehun sighed dramatically as he stood from the bed and adjusted his pants, and Chanyeol cursed at Sehun in his mind. He’s definitely getting boned that night with the way his pants are hugging his thighs and outlining his crotch teasingly. A cough broke Chanyeol’s thoughts and his eyes met Sehun’s glaring ones. “Kris is definitely not the last Chinese you’d encounter. There’s more to it outside the campus’ walls, you know?”

Chanyeol ignored Sehun once again, opting to start lining up his already big eyes (you can never pass up on eyeliner), and cursing loudly when the edge smudged. The laugh he earned from Sehun was enough to throw whatever his hand grabbed on – an empty container of hair gel – at Sehun.

“Oh leave it be, you look vomit-inducing.”

Another cackle echoed and Chanyeol huffed as he marched towards the door. He prepared himself for a month and Sehun’s annoying retorts won’t jinx his chances on finally getting his mark burning through his skin. At least his phrase is better than Sehun’s “Can I bite your ass?”.

* * *

The party was in full swing. The Alpha Sigma Phi really went out with their farewell party for their graduating members, it seemed. The Greek house was transformed into a somewhat club complete with the pounding bass from the DJ booth, unlimited bottles of beer and tons more of alcoholic drinks and the usual group of girls from Alpha Zeta Phi in their slutty outfits to complete the environment.

It was hard to navigate through the throng of half-drunk half-celebrating people, even more so when you get a cup of something definitely spiked with more than just beers from random people with every turn.

Chanyeol lost count of how many shots he did after the third cup.

Somehow it was a blessing in disguise. The alcohol boosted his confidence and he could feel his dinner doing a marathon round his stomach and trying to cross over his esophagus, and the neon lights flashing through the dimmed house weren’t helping. It would have been great too if his so called wingman helped him before getting into somebody else’s pants. But alas, Oh Sehun was a brat who runs on his instincts influenced by his dick, so Chanyeol had to rely with his smudged eyes to navigate towards his goal.

Kris Wu was obviously with his circle of friends – tall people that seemed to not have their soles touching the ground for some reasons with a new girl from Alpha Zeta Phi in their arms every week. And even if he was in the same height range as Kris and his friends, he wasn’t exactly in range with them when it comes to being cool – after all, that circle Kris belonged to only spoke Chinese and English while Chanyeol could barely finish the Pied Piper tongue twister without biting his cheeks and tongue for a few times, and the only Chinese words he could utter expertly except the words on his mark were _ Xīnnián kuàilè _ and _ Duōshǎo. _

He took a random bottle from a random person and took a swig from it, his vision suddenly swaying just as the deities seemed to finally notice him. All too sudden, Kris was left alone and the lights suddenly flashed on him – well in Chanyeol’s mind that is.

It might have been an hour or so that Chanyeol was rooted on the spot, and when their eyes suddenly met, Chanyeol felt his knees buckled enough that all the liquid courage he had earlier suddenly went down the drain. And just when Chanyeol thought he’d stay starstrucked for the rest of the night, somebody managed to bump over him and woke him up from his (unattractive) stupor. It would’ve been all good and all if not for the fact that Chanyeol’s trademark trait was being hopelessly clumsy when sober. 

A few staggering moments later and Chanyeol found himself crouched over someone’s lap, with his face directly in front of an impressive bu-

“**_Can I help you?_ **” 

The sound that came out of Chanyeol was definitely unattractive (and borderline slurring). 

“**_Cute._ **”

Cute. Fuck. Did Chanyeol heard Kris correctly? He wasn't sure, because Kris’ long, yaoi like fingers were gripping his shoulders and hauling him up to the vacant spot next to him. 

Alcohol had such a hallucinating effect, Chanyeol thinks. There's no freaking way that the Kris Wu would be talking to him and - 

** _“You alright there?” _ **

** _“Uh...okay. Yes. Very okay.”_ **

Kris' chuckle was enough to make Chanyeol cum, he’s so sure of it. 

“**_I’m Kris, by the way. And you are?_ **” 

“**_Yes. Kris!_ **” 

A sudden heat crept up Chanyeol’s neck and he was very certain that it wasn’t because of the alcohol in his system. He’s glad, though, that Kris found him amusing if his smirk was anything to go by. 

“Ah, sorry. I must’ve made you flustered by my English. Let’s try that again, shall we? I’m Kris, and you are?” Kris extended his hand to Chanyeol and for a moment the latter blanked out before grabbing Kris’ hand. So Kris can talk in Korean?

Somehow it made his mission easier and harder at the same time.

Chanyeol cleared his throat and flashed his signature grin (yeah, that one that Sehun repeatedly claimed as Chanyeol’s creepy grin). 

“My name’s Chanyeol.” 

Kris’ fingers left a tingling sensation on Chanyeol’s that it made him dazed for a while – that is until he heard Kris’ chuckle. 

“Oh dear, seems like someone’s taken one too many beers for the night.”

“Ah, well...that’s the goal actually…”

“Trust me, you would regret ever saying that.” 

“I don’t think so.” Chanyeol muttered in a sudden sobriety that startled even himself. There was curiosity present on Kris’ face that prompted Chanyeol to explain, only to stop before he started because, fuck, how is he supposed to explain this without forcing the situation– 

It all happened too fast, Chanyeol didn’t even know where the fuck this dude came from, but suddenly he was dripping wet and sticky (not in a good way) with a liquid he could only deduce as something alcoholic in his half-embarassed-half-pissed condition. The beer dripped annoyingly through his leather jacket while Kris uselessly confronted the ass-drunk guy before shoving him out of his sight. Chanyeol would’ve swooned over his knight in shining armor, if not for the fact that the sticky beer is now making his skin itchy against the leather material of his jacket. 

“That looks uncomfortable..here, let’s take that one off.” 

And then the leather jacket was gone and through Chanyeol’s drunken stupor, he still managed to send a somber attempt at thanking the deities up there. He didn’t have to undergo that awkward phase of explaining things to Kris. 

Or maybe not.

“Oh, you have your tattoo in Chinese...Mind if I read it?”

Seconds turned into minutes or maybe even longer. When Chanyeol looked at Kris, the other guy was, as expected, gaping at the Chinese characters before everything clicked. 

“Oh...that’s why, the thing with the beer, you see…”

The silence stretched on and there’s a haunting echo inside Chanyeol’s head that sounded annoyingly like Sehun. 

Told you so, this doesn’t work the way you wanted it to be.

“I...I don’t think this works like you thought it would be.” Kris finally spoke, long fingers unlatching those thick and unattractive leather buckle bracelet on his forearm, revealing a swirl of Hangul. 

_ You look constipated when you smirk like that. _

It would have been a hilarious soulmate phrase, and Chanyeol would have laughed too, if not for the fact that the words looked different from his. The edges of each character had a distinguished burned edge and corners which meant - 

“Oh shit...you found your soulmate already?”

“Yeah.”

Warmth rushed through Chanyeol and he’s very certain that it’s not because of alcohol. His limbs shoot up on their own, making him stumble clumsily (and embarrassingly) as he stood, and his flush deepened some more when he felt Kris’ hand holding his elbow and supporting him. 

“Easy there. It’s all cool.” 

“But...but...oh god.” And then Chanyeol was pulled back on the seat, his mind spinning just a little too much with the acquired information and embarrassment. 

“It’s fine, dude. I mean, I get you, there aren’t really that many Chinese students around.” Kris chuckled and somehow it still made Chanyeol shiver a bit. “But hey, I’m willing to help you with your predicament.”

Chanyeol blinked and looked up at Kris.

“How is that even possible?”

Out of nowhere, Kris managed to procure two bottles of the strongest beer around. How can that even help Chanyeol?

“By drinking the night away, of course!”

Oh, Chanyeol must have said that aloud. He didn’t really know how that worked but hey, free drinks and drinking alongside one of the hottest guys on campus, it’s a total win-win situation for Chanyeol. So he took a swig from the bottle Kris handed him, and soon everything became a blur. 

* * *

Waking up literally under the sun after a night of crazy drinking wasn’t really ideal, and Chanyeol found out the hard way. 

He found himself sprawled out on the backyard of the fraternity’s greek house with the sun directly toasting his face without the slightest idea how he ended up there. Everything was a blur, his head felt like splitting in half and his stomach threatened to spill out all the alcohol resting in it along with its other content.

Chanyeol decided it wasn’t his best day. 

And just when he thought his day couldn’t get any worse, his eyes landed on his wrist where the usual Chinese characters were. 

Only, it already had the burned edges like Kris’ words bore. And Chanyeol had no idea who the freaking hell managed to do it. 

* * *

When Chanyeol was a little boy, he had always thought that being an adult was cool. 

Wearing suits while sporting suitcases, driving a car, working in a tall building, earning money many, many more times than the money his mother gives him for lunch, and going home to his soulmate after a day’s work in a quaint house – who wouldn’t even want to experience that?

Oh boy, if he could only go back in time. 

Yes, he may wear suits and sport suitcases everyday but he wanted to tell his kid self that it’s hella uncomfortable and expensive to maintain. 

Yes, he gets to drive a car – albeit a rusty, old one that threatened to give out on him one too many times. 

Yes, he works in a tall building. For ten hours. Doing boring things that he would gladly trade in just so he could be a carefree kid once more. 

Yes, he earns money, many, many more times than the money his mother gives him for lunch, but he also has many, many, many bills to pay. 

And yes, he did have a soulmate but he never really knew who and where they were. He doesn’t have a quaint house, but he lives in a fairly average unit located on the somehow upscale part of the town and that he shared the unit with a guy that turned out to be a fellow alumnus of his university and was never home. 

Chanyeol’s adult life was far from the cool one he perceived when he was a kid.

But life had to continue, so Chanyeol found himself already tired at 9 AM as he slumped on his lumpy office chair with tons of paperwork waiting for him by his desk. The sun was glaring at him through the blinds-free floor-to-ceiling window and his system lacks the energy that caffeine provides him. 

It was another boring day at work. 

“Hey.” 

And Chanyeol would’ve wanted it to stay boring by ignoring his nosy co-worker Baekhyun (who also happened to be Sehun’s soulmate), but as usual the guy would only turn out to be more irritating if left ignored. 

“What?”

“I heard from Suzy that the new employee will start today.” 

Ah great. The new guy comes and he’s going to share Chanyeol’s cube for the meantime. Which means that Chanyeol was the unofficial chaperone of the new guy. Great. 

“And you know what else I’ve heard from Suzy?” There was an eat-shitting boxed grin on Baekhyun’s lips and it only spelled doom for Chanyeol. Despite the stern silence that Chanyeol emitted, Baekhyun decided to continue. “The new guy’s Chinese.”

Maybe it isn’t too late to skip work. 

“Hold your horses there, Park. You look like your a blink away from cumming.” 

“Fuck off Byun.” Chanyeol growled and threw a crumpled paper at the guy. It had been years, and Chanyeol knew better than to stay away from Chinese people. After all, his soulmate was Chinese who just managed to etch that burn on his skin before ghosting him. And Kris Wu – that Chinese dude that everyone had a crush on - was the main reason why he can’t even remember who the fuck managed to ghost him.

But it had been years, and he moved on. 

Or maybe not. 

From afar, there was an echo of footsteps all too familiar to the employees to figure out that it’s their boss’. All too soon, Baekhyun’s head disappeared from the divider –he was never that tall anyway, poor guy– and Chanyeol found himself wearing the passive face he trained to wear for the past two weeks for this event. Behind him he could already hear his boss’ high pitched voice that’s too energetic at this ungodly time nearing his area. He turned on his PC, opened a random excel file and pretend to be productive. 

“Over here will be your temporary space, apologies as the, uh, former employee left a very _ lasting impression _ on it.” 

Ah, a glue bomb. Chanyeol can’t fathom how Jondae managed to do it, but it was fun, especially the part where the glue residue landed straight to their boss’ immaculate toupee. The guy was cool too, what a shame. 

“No worries over there, we’re already working on it and you might transfer to it in a few days time. Meanwhile, you’ll be sharing this space with Park.” There was a stern knock on the front walls of his cube-cum-office space and Chanyeol slowly turned, trying to be as intimidating as possible. 

That, too, failed. 

“Park, this is Lu Han. He’ll be your ward for the next few days. Teach him the ropes and stuff…”

Chanyeol’s passive face immediately dropped. In front of him was a little guy, probably just a few inches taller than Baekhyun, with the brightest doe eyes he had ever seen. He literally shines with that bleached white-blond hair of his and the cute button nose that barely crinkled in confusion was just too adorable to ignore. And then the guy smiled and, dang. 

Everything about him is just bright. 

Or maybe it’s the fact that behind the new guy were the ceiling-to-floor windows that reflected the early rays of the sun. Either way, there was something about this guy that made Chanyeol flash a smile – no matter how awkward and creepy it might be. 

The guy - Lu Han - giggled and motioned on the spare chair beside Chanyeol. 

“Can I have a seat?”

If that isn’t the cutest broken Korean that Chanyeol has ever heard…

Chanyeol shook his head and nodded instantly. 

“Uh, sure… please.” 

From behind the half walls, Chanyeol was certain he heard something akin to _ whipped _.

Lu Han got settled and there was an awkward aura within the area. Chanyeol cleared his throat, but still his insides trembled, especially when he locked eyes with Lu Han. The other guy was wearing an amused smile and it did nothing to stop Chanyeol’s rapid heartbeat. 

“So uh...I’m Chanyeol. If you have any questions, I’m just a tap away.” 

“Do you entertain _ any _questions?” 

A shiver went down Chanyeol’s spine at Lu Han’s sudden change in demeanor. Gone were the doe eyes, only replaced with a half-lidded ones that promised things that Chanyeol shouldn’t think about during work. His soft voice went just a little bit lower and Chanyeol wondered if that’s how his moans sounded like. 

“Just kidding.” A giggle broke Chanyeol’s reverie, and the normal and too bright Lu Han was back with a blinding smile - as if he wasn’t a different person earlier. “Go on with your work then, don’t let me be a bother to you.”

Lu Han then turned around and started rummaging through his bag, and Chanyeol decided to face his monitor once more. Maybe it’s better if he really does some actual work to distract himself from the newcomer. 

He can’t wait for lunch time to finally come. 

* * *

“So, how’s the new cube-mate? Heard he’s a real cutie.”

Chanyeol grumbled as soon as he reached the table he usually eats on. He barely even set his tray on the surface and he’s already placed in the hot seat. It’s hard not to roll his eyes as he slumped on his reserved seat and started eating. 

“Jongin. Let the guy take a few more spoonfuls of his food.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin completes the little clique that Chanyeol has at work along with Baekhyun. They make Chanyeol’s mundane work hours a bit interesting to say the least. 

After a few spoons of the bland kimchi stew that Chanyeol ordered, Kyungsoo suddenly turned to him with his wide and curious eyes. 

“So, is the new cube-mate really a cute one? Heard he’s Chinese too.”

Thinking about it, Chanyeol was thankful that nothing else happened before lunch came. The new guy kept to himself most of the time, with the occasional questions about the common work stuff. He even got his company laptop all ready and waiting to enslaving him. Nothing noteworthy for Chanyeol– 

Except there were moments where the hairs in his spine uncharacteristically raise, like someone’s staring holes at his nape. 

“Guy’s basically whipped, if you ask me.” Baekhyun’s voice echoed and somehow Chanyeol’s starting to have a headache. “I mean, he almost came just from the guy’s introduction.”

“I did not Baekhyun.” Chanyeol grumbled amidst the laughter that roared through their table. Such friends Chanyeol has. 

“Oh, don’t look now, but that’s definitely the new guy.” 

Chanyeol straightened and there’s a tiny part of him that shouldn’t listen to Baekhyun – because he fell for this trick a million times before - so he did. He didn’t even dared to turn and ignored all the reactions that came from his friends.

“Oh...he does have this bright aura around him. Cute. Borderline jailbait, but still an 8 for me.”

“Jongin’s right. He does look young though…”

“Told you, it’s not just the Chinese factor that got our friend here hooked up.”

Chanyeol growled and finished off his lunch before glaring at the trio on the table. 

“You guys suck at being friends.” Chanyeol then stood and proceeded to the counters where, lo and behold Lu Han was, looking bewildered at the microwave in front of him (the sight alone made Chanyeol’s heart race). There was a nagging feeling within Chanyeol to abort whatever mission this is - even if he’s just going back to his workstation. But it was too late, his eyes met Lu Han’s big doe eyes that made Chanyeol rooted on the spot. 

“Chanyeol! Just the person I’m looking for.” There was a certain tone in Lu Han’s voice that made Chanyeol shiver involuntarily, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Lu Han. A small smirk made its way towards Lu Han’s lips but it was gone before Chanyeol can even imprint it in his mind – or was it even there in the first place?

“Uh, hey Lu Han.”

“This microwave seem to hate me...would you mind helping a doe in distress to get his lunch warmed up?” 

Lu Han’s eyes seemed even bigger now, and Chanyeol knew it was a losing battle to even resist the new guy. And from afar, he knew that Baekhyun and the rest of the gang were eyeing him like a hawk to its prey. 

If only the ground can swallow him that instant.

With a defeated sigh, Chanyeol took the bento box from Lu Han and shoved it inside the microwave. He pressed a few buttons and the microwave started doing its magic.

“Oh...so that’s how it works.” 

All too sudden, Lu Han’s face was inches away from Chanyeol’s, their cheeks almost a breadth away from each other that Chanyeol was sure he could almost feel the freshly shaved skin against his. His heart started beating rapidly and he found himself quickly – and loudly – scampering out of Lu Han’s vicinity. 

Doesn’t this guy know anything about privacy?

“Uh, if you don’t have anything more to ask of, I’ll be going now.” Chanyeol found himself backing away, but not before Lu Han managed to grab his wrist – the very one where his soulmate tattoo was. Even if there was a layer of clothing that hindered direct contact, the part where Lu Han oh-so-softly held Chanyeol felt like it was on fire. And when Chanyeol looked up, he swore his knees are going to give up on him. 

Lu Han’s usual big eyes were half-lidded, and his teeth were biting on his lower lip subtly yet sexily. When Lu Han opened his mouth, his voice sounded lower and definitely made Chanyeol’s insides tremble.

“Thanks, Chanyeol.”

Time stood still, Chanyeol’s head started spinning and he was seemingly trapped inside Lu Han’s endless pools of brown - until the microwave reminded them of its presence. A loud _ ding _woke Chanyeol from his trance, and when he blinked, the sultry Lu Han in front of was gone and replaced by the usual bright ball of sunshine that he is.

“See you later.” Lu Han then let go of his hand before taking his bento box from the microwave. With a wink, he was gone as fast as he came, leaving Chanyeol rooted in place, and he had no idea what the hell just happened. 

From behind him, he could perfectly hear Baekhyun’s sassy voice saying _ whipped _. But it wasn’t the least of Chanyeol’s concerns at the moment. 

How the hell can he even get back to his workstation and share the space with Lu Han now?

* * *

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the week.

Chanyeol didn’t know whether he should be relieved or not. Aside from the occasional snickers from his neighboring cube and the stares that he clearly felt boring holes on his back, nothing out of control happened. He never even saw that sultry side of Lu Han again, which is a good thing.

But it was like the calm before the storm, to be honest. 

Friday finally rolled in, and to everyone’s luck (or not), the air conditioning decided to break down on them. As much as Chanyeol and everyone else hated it, he had to loosen up his tie and roll up his usually iron crisped sleeves up until his elbows – exposing his unwanted tattoo the he tried to hide with his watch. 

Obviously, it failed.

Thankfully –or not–, Chanyeol found himself facing tons upon tons of paperwork (honestly, it was just a pile of emails and requests from his boss that he put off until the end of the week to do) that he had worked through thoroughly (read:half-assed) for hours. Lunchtime had already passed, and the day saw how Chanyeol rarely declined Baekhyun’s call for lunch. 

By the time he managed to send the last document that his boss had requested from him a long time ago, Chanyeol was two hours away from clocking out. Time flew by so fast, that he didn’t even felt Lu Han’s presence. When Chanyeol decided to take his much needed break, the guy was nowhere to be found. 

“Was called by the HR, I think.” Baekhyun’s head suddenly popped from the half-wall in front of Chanyeol and the latter found himself rolling his eyes at Baekhyun. 

“I didn’t ask, Byun.”

“But you looked like it, you know. Thinking where your cube mate is.”

“Go fuck yourself, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol sighed as he stood and stretched his cramped legs. Maybe he should get some coffee at least to energize him for the remaining two hours of his work.

“Why would I do that when I have Sehun?”

Oh god, this is what he hated about being the best of friends –third-wheeling, they quoted– with Sehun and Baekhyun. Chanyeol gets involuntarily updated with Sehun and Baekhyun’s sex life. 

“I’m taking a coffee break, maybe call it a day when I come back.” Chanyeol groaned as walked out of his too little workspace. 

“Hey, you’re not ditching us tonight, right?” Chanyeol blinked and stared at Baekhyun indifferently. What was Baekhyun onto this time? “Department karaoke night. God, Chanyeol. Don’t tell me you purposefully forgot again.”

Oh god, was it the time of the year again? While company karaokes sound fun and stress-relieving, Chanyeol’s company’s version of the outing was a different and traumatizing one.Let’s just say Chanyeol’s had seen enough toupees and stripteasing to last him a lifetime. 

“I’ll think about it.” 

“But it’s Lu Han’s first karaoke night too.”

All the more reason why Chanyeol should avoid it, he thinks.

His mind was too preoccupied as he pressed the buttons of their pantry’s shitty coffee machine, trying to think of a valid reason just so he could avoid that damned karaoke night. 

Mother’s sick? 

Used two years ago – and his boss didn’t gave a fuck.

Attending a relative’s funeral?

High chance that Baekhyun will rat him out.

There must be something else that he could use– 

“Penny for your thoughts?” 

A familiar yet unwelcomed shiver ran through Chanyeol’s spine, and it took everything in him not to spill his freshly brewed (not) hot coffee in his hands. When he turned his head, Lu Han was already by his side, hip leaning against the counter and an inquiring gaze on his face. 

“H-hey…”

“So, what’s bothering you that you’re staring at the coffee machine for a straight minute?”

“Well…”

“Don’t tell me it’s because of karaoke night?”

“Kind of…”

“Please tell me you’re going! You’re the only person I have gotten a chance to know.” 

Oh god, there goes those eyes once more. 

“Um…”

“Pretty please?” And then Lu Han’s suddenly pressing against him, those big eyes now half-sultry and full of dark promises that Chanyeol isn’t sure he’s too keen to discover. Another wave of shiver went through him as Lu Han huskily whispered against his ear (how that even happened with their height difference, Chanyeol will never know). “And besides, I wouldn’t mind if you vomit on me…if that meant we get to take our clothes off.” 

Chanyeol’s knees nearly buckled as Lu Han’s finger traced the etched words on his skin and leaving a hot trail on its wake, and he had to fight the urge to groan out at the sound of Lu Han’s voice. But when he blinked, Lu Han was already a t least a foot away from him, his bright facade back. 

“Shall I expect you later?”

An unintelligible grumble went out of Chanyeol, and Lu Han took it as an affirmation, much to Chanyeol’s disappointment. 

“Good! See you later!”

And then Lu Han was skipping back to god knows where he came from and Chanyeol’s coffee turning lukewarm on his trembling hands. 

Oh god, maybe he really is whipped. 

* * *

Karaoke night was in full swing. 

Chanyeol couldn’t remember the past three hours spent inside the VIP room of the local noraebang that his department always reserves on occasions like these. It was all a blur and no, it wasn’t because of the two mugs of beer that went through his system – Chanyeol isn’t a lightweight after all (or at least, that’s what he’s claiming). 

He wasn’t drunk with alcohol, all right. What he was drunk of wereheated glances and sneaky touches that Lu Han was sending him. For the past half an hour, Lu Han chose to sit beside him, thighs squished against each other’s while he whispered against Chanyeol’s ear on his comments about their half-drunk colleagues. 

But what took the cake was when Lu Han reached forward to reach for an empty glass on Chanyeol’s other side, his other hand landing dangerously close to Chanyeol’s already tenting crotch. 

“Lemme get some refreshments for you, Chanyeol.”

There it was again, sultry and seductive Lu Han coming and going as fast as it could, yet this time Chanyeol was left on a very uncomfortable situation. 

“So, you’re Lu Han’s so called guide.” 

Chanyeol straightened up and looked up to see their department’s HR officer, Minseok, with a half-empty mug of beer in his hand. He was never close with the guy – Chanyeol’s loud and clumsy while Minseok was serious and disciplined. 

“Hey, Minseok.” The guy smiled and took the seat that Lu Han was occupying earlier, and Chanyeol’s words were stuck in his throat. After all, how should he tell their HR officer to get out of that spot because he and Lu Han has an unfinished business. 

Of course you won’t tell that, not when you badly need your work. 

“Lu Han...he’s quite the friendly guy, don’t you think so?”

“Um...yeah...a social butterfly, in my opinion.”

“Social? You mean slutty butterfly.” 

Chanyeol had to look over to check if it was really Minseok he’s talking to. The amused smirk on Minseok’s face is an unusual sight to see - though it looked sexy in Chanyeol’s opinion. 

“I...well…”

“Did he do his advances to you too?” Minseok hummed nonchalantly, cat-like eyes staring at Chanyeol down, as if pressuring him to answer honestly or it’s his job on the line. Chanyeol found himself choosing not to speak and just sending a supposed to be a nonchalant shrug. 

“I see...quite the slutty butterfly still.”

“Um...maybe you’re judging him too fast?” Chanyeol mumbled carefully, to which Minseok replied with an amused chuckle. The latter shook his head before tilting his head to a direction that Chanyeol followed. 

“Well, if that’s not being slutty, I don’t know what that is.”

In Chanyeol’s line of vision, he can clearly see Lu Han chuckling with what Jongin had said, and it would have been all good. Really. Chanyeol shouldn’t suspect anything. 

Except his eyes travel lower, and he saw Lu Han’s hand carefully caressing Jongin’s crotch through his trousers. 

What. The. Actual. Fuck. 

“Exactly.” Minseok chuckled beside him before he took a swig from his mug. “It’s just how Lu Han is.”

“You...you know Lu Han personally?”

“More than personally, if I may say so myself.” 

Chanyeol found himself blinking, as silence stretched between them, with only the sound of Baekhyun’s voice belting out some female song with a high pitch. Before Chanyeol could even ask, Minseok started to tug on the sleeve of his shirt, revealing words that were barely readable through the dimmed lights of the room.

_ Do you entertain any questions? _

The memory from a few days ago flashed through Chanyeol’s mind and embarrassment flooded through Chanyeol. Fuck. 

“You’re...you’re Lu Han’s soulmate?”

“Well, technically, yes. God, he really did use that damned pick-up line with you.” Minseok laughed and Chanyeol contemplated on whether it was of humor or sarcasm. 

“But...but…”

Minseok chuckled some more before he emptied his mug and placing it on the table in front of them. Then he shrugged and leaned back, eyes watching Lu Han with a twinkle of mischief. 

“We agreed to be open. He fucks whoever he wants and I fuck whoever I want to. Well, sometimes we share.”

Chanyeol almost spat out the beer he just gulped. Good thing he didn’t, though it roughly went down his throat, making him cough loud enough to get everyone’s attention - including Baekhyun who’s halfway through belting out a high note. He felt Minseok’s hand gently yet firmly patted his back for a few seconds before he regained his bearings. 

“You okay there?” There was something that changed in Minseok’s voice that made him sound very much like Lu Han. 

Speaking of the guy…

“So, you’re getting all chummy with Chanyeol, I see.” Lu Han suddenly appeared, with a mug of beer in his hand and placing it beside Chanyeol. Then his fingers teasingly raked over Chanyeol’s nape that made the guy stiffen in his seat – in more ways than one.

“Yeah, I am. Do you mind?” 

“No…” Chanyeol didn’t need to turn to see Lu Han’s leering smirk. No. He isn’t going to turn and put himself in more demise than he could get out of. “And I wouldn’t mind if we go home with him tonight–”

Oh, gods.

“But...I think we may pass up on him in the meantime.” 

What? 

Chanyeol looked up and saw Lu Han tilting his head towards the door, where Jongin was, predatory smile in place. He heard the sound of approval from Minseok before he felt his hand against Chanyeol’s inner thigh and pressing it teasingly.

“Well, that’s bad. Maybe next time, Park.” 

There was a chuckle from Chanyeol’s behind before a lick landed on his earlobe. 

“Yeah, next time, Chanyeol.”

Before Chanyeol could even react, the two were already walking towards the door, meeting Jongin before the three of them went out unnoticed by the drunk occupants of the room. A few more seconds passed and Chanyeol reached for the mug that Lu Han brought earlier and chugging it in one go. 

He didn’t even want to remember what had just transpired. Maybe he should once again follow Kris Wu’s advice from years ago – by drinking the night away, of course.

* * *

“You know, for someone who tries his very best to avoid Chinese people, you sure are one hell of a magnet of them.” 

There was a loud buzz inside Chanyeol’s head, the kind that doesn’t go away and instead just continues to hammer against Chanyeol’s brain. The annoying loud buzz also sounded a lot like Sehun’s voice. 

Oh, wait…

“Don’t you fucking dare throw up here. I swear, Chanyeol. I will kick you out on the curb if I ever see even a drop of drool on the seats.”

Chanyeol can’t really remember how he managed to call Sehun, haul a half-passed out Baekhyun in the passenger seat before plopping his long limbs into the backseat of Sehun’s Mini. For such a tall man, Chanyeol couldn’t quite figure out why he settled on driving a Mini around. He couldn’t even fathom, amidst his drunkass mind, how Sehun even fits inside that cramped space that he drives in. 

The idea just makes his head even more painful. 

“God, Chanyeol. I’ve never seen you this dazed since that night Kris took you under his wing.” Sehun chuckled and it’s enough to send another wave of headache inside his head. 

“Shut it, Sehun. Just drive, will you.”

“Seriously. Why do you always get this kind of daze when you’re involved with Chinese dudes? I definitely don’t see you like this with Yixing, though.”

Yixing. Right. The prodigal roommate. 

“Yeah, you’re prodigal roommate.” Oh. Chanyeol must’ve said it aloud. “Come to think of it, you’re roommates with a Chinese too. I thought you’re trying to avoid them, and yet you find yourself in the biggest irony of your life yet.” 

Chanyeol managed to grunt without having to spill anything coming from his stomach. 

“Look.” Chanyeol found himself wincing at how slurred his tone sounded. He chose to ignore Sehun’s snicker and closed his eyes in an attempt to somehow get rid of the swirling motions that he sees. “Yixing’s barely home anyway.” 

“Ah, yes, I wonder why.” There was a teasing tone in Sehun’s voice as Chanyeol realized they were a few blocks away from his shared flat. “Hey, if I was going to be your roommate, I’d rather not stay at home too.”

It didn’t take a lot of effort from Chanyeol to kick Sehun’s seat. 

“Is he mateless too?” 

Come to think of it, Chanyeol barely knows anything about Yixing, besides the fact that they went to the same university and that he’s a producer and that he often goes to China for work and stuff. He doesn’t even know if Yixing found his soulmate already. 

“God, Chanyeol. What if he’s a psychopath?”

“You’re the one who looks like a psychopath with your constipated scowl.” 

“Hey, I just thought of something.” Sehun muttered as he parked in front of Chanyeol’s apartment complex, and the latter couldn’t be thankful enough for getting out of the cramped car (amidst a few stumbles that Sehun laughed at). The latter managed to grunt as his eyes met Sehun’s mischievous eyes through the rear mirror. 

“Oh, you do that? Thinking, I mean.” 

“Yeah, most of the times, unlike you.” Sehun cackled as Chanyeol clumsily climbed out of the car.. “But, Chanyeol, what if Yixing’s your long lost soulmate?” 

“Please, Sehun. Yixing’s not a dick, unlike my soulmate who chose to ghost me after burning the words through my skin.” Chanyeol hissed before slamming the door a little too loudly. He can’t help but chuckle at how it startled the completely passed out Baekhyun on the passenger’s seat. 

“Yeah, he’s not, but you probably imagined him to be the dick up your ass once or twice, didn’t you?”

Chanyeol flashed his middle finger at Sehun before he turned and tried hard not to stumble his way through entering the lobby. He could barely hear Sehun calling out to him before he sped out of the street.

“Don’t forget to thank me when you get dicked by your roommate!”

Oh god. Chanyeol felt like passing out in the hallway. 

But the thought of Yixing being the _ dick _that Chanyeol wanted him to be was a thought worth imagining. 

But never worth acting upon. 

* * *

Chanyeol was sure a stampede of wildebeest occurred inside his head during his restless sleep. The too bright sunlight wasn’t helping at all, and the dull sound of some jazz song from outside his room only added more pain in his heavy head. 

His throat was parched, and his limbs were aching, and Chanyeol swore he wouldn’t drink again – well not that much. He managed to pull himself up the bed, tossed off his soiled clothes from yesterday on a pile that he promised himself he would clean later (or maybe never) and walked out of his room with only his undershirt and boxers.

It was a bad idea. 

The loud jazz music assaulted him, and his vision slightly blurred for a bit. 

“Oh, you’re up. Come, I managed to whip up some breakfast – don’t worry it’s hungover proof, it’s my grandma’s recipe for when my grandpa’s terribly hungover.” 

At the back of Chanyeol’s mind, he could clearly hear Sehun’s snickering voice echoing his words from last night - and Chanyeol hated how right Sehun was.

_ ...but you probably imagined him to be the dick up your ass once or twice… _

Being roommates with Zhang Yixing was an easy task, a routine. The guy was cool, neat and shares the same amount of interest in music as Chanyeol. He could also play a handful of instruments, the very reason why he and Chanyeol quickly clicked. Yixing’s overall tolerable and mostly keeps to himself, he’s also sensitive and knows when to give Chanyeol his personal space. 

But at that moment, Chanyeol didn’t want Yixing to leave him in his personal space.

Living with Yixing for over four years had let Chanyeol see most of his sides from confused to frustrated to silly, but that morning was probably Chanyeol’s favorite side so far. 

Yixing was wearing a loose tank top, giving Chanyeol a glimpse of those rosy nubs on hard muscles and just a tease of those rock hard abs that he suddenly had a craving to touch. His eyes went downwards, where Yixing was wearing the tightest boxer briefs that Chanyeol had ever seen. It teasingly outlined the other’s bulge– 

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

Chanyeol straightened and looked up at Yixing, where the latter was wearing an amused smirk that was immediately gone. Oh god, this is all Sehun’s fault. 

He then dragged himself towards the table where a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a plate of watermelons were waiting for him. He can’t help but to dig in, obviously, moaning at the rich taste of the soup that sent warmth through his system.

“So, rough night, huh?” The sound of a chair lightly scraping the floor interrupted Chanyeol’s unethical slurping, finding Yixing sitting right in front of him. It took all his willpower not to spit out the noodles in his mouth.

“Y-yeah. Company karaoke night.” Chanyeol mumbled, grimacing as strands of noodles roughly went down his throat. “Couldn’t take a rain check this time.”

“But you seem to have enjoyed, never saw you that drunk before.”

Chanyeol shrugged, pushing back the real reason why he got himself shit drunk last night. 

“Didn’t know you’re back, I thought you’d be staying in China until next weekend?” Chanyeol then broke eye contact and started eating once more. One more second and he knows he’s gonna drool over Yixing.

Again, Sehun’s fault for planting the seeds in his mind. 

“Ah, yeah. Got back last night since I managed to finish my business in China earlier, though jetlag got me up till the wee hours of the night. Might be a few months before I get back there. We’ll probably see each other more often now.” 

Oh.

_ Oh. Shit. _

“Oh...that’s…that’s good.” The uncertainty was very obvious in Chanyeol’s tone, and good thing Yixing took it in a lighter note.

“Seemed like you’ve gotten used to living all alone here.” Yixing chuckled before he tilted his head, his deep dimple very prominent on his cheek and _ gods _ \- “Well, eat up before it gets cold. I still have a lot more on the pot. It’s my grandma’s secret recipe, by the way.”

Chanyeol felt himself flushing before he dug into his bowl once more. There was a comfortable silence with only the sound of the jazz music bouncing through their walls. Halfway through finishing his bowl, a familiar song started playing and made Chanyeol look at Yixing. 

“I didn’t know you’re into Jazz too.”

“Ah. Just...woke up with the song playing in my mind this morning. Made me remember the first time I met my soulmate.”

Oh. So Yixing did found his soulmate. 

No matter how much Chanyeol denied it, something inside him shattered into a million pieces. His eyes drifted towards Yixing’s wrist where a cacophony of English characters were etched. Now only did Chanyeol realize that he’s never really seen Yixing’s tattoo before.

“Must be a memorable time, I reckon.” Chanyeol said, unintentionally sounding a bit bitter before slurping the last contents of the bowl. “Thanks for the breakfast, coffee’s on me tomorrow.”

A shiver ran through Chanyeol’s spine when the speakers blared out words that sounded achingly familiar.

** _I might have to wait, I’ll never give up. I guess it’s half timing, and the other half’s luck._ **

“Ah, it’s always been my favorite line of that song.” Yixing chuckled as he took a piece of the forgotten watermelon and raised it to his mouth not before sending a playful wink at Chanyeol. Through Chanyeol’s still muddy mind, he managed to make out the words on Yixing’s wrist – the very same ones from the song. 

“Good choice, then…” Chanyeol dumbly muttered, all thoughts of getting Yixing to be the dick inside him thrown out of the window. Yixing was officially just a dick.

“Yeah. You should tell that to my soulmate. He managed to belt that one out while he was pissed drunk and sprawled over the lawn of a fraternity house.” 

Another shiver went up Chanyeol’s spine just as he stood, intent on placing the bowl in the sink. His knees nearly buckled but he managed to get to the sink, though the bowl loudly clinked on the sink. This is purely just the product of too much alcohol in his system that’s nourishing Sehun’s evil seed in his mind. 

He was too preoccupied to even notice that Yixing was already behind him – personal space be damned. 

“Or maybe not...after all, you already know that, how good of a choice those lyrics were.” Yixing’s breath was hot against his shoulder (stupid height difference) and it made his insides tremble. And then something wet and warm started licking its way on his neck, and a raspy moan went out of Chanyeol’s mouth. 

“So...can I be the dick up your ass now?”

Oh fuck, Chanyeol will definitely kill Sehun - well after Yixing’s done dicking him. 

* * *

**Four years ago**

Yixing finally got the chance to breathe fresh air, after hours and hours of being inside the crowded fraternity house. He would never understand what people gain from these crowded and loud parties. He really won’t, not until he manages to get his Korean straight.

Or maybe he’s just an avid fan of personal spaces. 

The door that he went out of led him to a deserted lawn, and all hopes of finding Joonmyun and begging him to go home went down the drain. Well at least, he can be in his personal space now. 

The sky was unusually clear that night and it drew him to walk further to the vacant lawn, to which he did. Though, halfway through the lawn, he heard a slur of unfamiliar words that sent shivers up his spine for no reason at all. And the culprit was a few feet away from him, sitting on the grass and drunkenly swaying to a silent rhythm.

Something inside Yixing nagged him, to avoid this guy who’s obviously drunk off his ass. But something stronger was pulling him closer, and before he knew it, he’s already beside the guy who’s singing an English song, now that Yixing can understand. 

And then the guy looked up and their eyes met, just as he was singing the next lines in a drunken fashion. 

** _“I might have to wait, I’ll never give up. I guess it’s half timing, and the other half’s luck.”_ **

Something felt burning on Yixing’s skin, but he ignored it, because the guy was suddenly heaving by his feet and Yixing quickly dodged the guy. 

“_Please don’t vomit on me”_

Suddenly, the guy stiffened and looked up at him, all clouds of intoxication suddenly gone in his dark orbs. 

“What did you say?”

_ “Uh...maybe I should get you a glass of water…” _

The guy tilted his head, confusion clearly etched on his face and only then did Yixing realized that he was speaking in Chinese. Crap. Where was Joonmyun when you needed him?

“Uh...water...get...you?” Yixing stammered and it only confused the guy some more, before it made him sway a bit and the sound of heaving returned. He should’ve just stayed away from this guy. 

He managed to get the guy lie on the grass, in the hopes that it would ease his nausea even for a little while. 

“Uhm. Wait.” Yixing said and the guy seemed to finally understood him, if not for the vigorous nod that he sent to Yixing. Yixing took a deep breath before he walked back towards the house, hoping that he could get at least a glass of water unharmed. 

He didn’t even managed to get to the door, because a heavy arm landed on his shoulder. 

_ “Yixing! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”  _Joonmyun, as always, has impeccable timing.

_ “Joon. I need a glass of water, there’s a guy–” _

_ “Ah, he’ll be fine. Come, Kris will give us a ride back to the dorms. The party’s almost winding down anyway.” _

_ “No, wait…” _

Joonmyun was then dragging him to the other direction, and Yixing could only manage to get a last glance of the guy that’s still sprawled on the lawn. He also sent a quick prayer that someone helps him in that condition of his before he was pushed inside somebody’s luxurious car.

Only when Yixing was already lying on his bed, thoughts still invaded by the drunk guy in the lawn, did he managed to take a good look on his tattoo.

It was beautifully burned on the edge, with the English words finally having a definite meaning.


End file.
